DESTINATIONS


and land) for more than 20 years. Jumping into a small van with his friend and guide, Aaron Port, I join 10 other curious travellers heading north to Cape Tribulation. En route, we pause to spy on grazing kangaroos, scrub fowl and even a crocodile. I learn that koalas aren’t found in these tropical climates. On Thornton Beach, we taste nuts and seeds from


the trees and thickets fringing the sand. Port laughs as I bite wincingly into a cheesy-smelling noni fruit that is said to ease high blood pressure and lower cholesterol. Everyone in the group takes turns squeezing serum from a silver wattle stem onto their hands in a bid to keep the mosquitoes away. And at Cape Tribulation, we take it in turns to carve a fallen beach hibiscus branch into a spear. “We share our traditions, so more people can


understand the culture of our community,” Port tells me as we arrive at our final stop. As we go in search of the endangered cassowary along the boardwalks of the spring-fed creeks and mangrove forests, Port explains how the world’s third-tallest bird has dwindled due to habitat loss from agriculture expansion and residential development. He raises a finger to his lips. “The cassowary might be tall, but it is also shy,” he whispers. However, my highlight comes not from a sighting of the elusive flightless bird, but rather at the very end of the day, when we find


ABOVE: Sampling an Indigenous tradition with Walkabout Cultural Adventures PICTURE: Tourism and Events Queensland


ochre pigments – black from charcoal, red and yellow from iron oxide – along the rocks at Cape Tribulation. Port blends the residue with water to create a paste and decorates our cheeks. It’s a special moment that reminds me just how Queensland’s native landscape and Indigenous culture will forever be entwined. You can’t fully experience one without the other.


TW


QUEENSLAND | AUSTRALASIA BOOK IT


Intrepid Travel’s five-day Best of Cairns, Great Barrier Reef & Daintree tour dedicates a day to the Daintree and Mossman Gorge, including the Ngadiku Dreamtime walk. Prices start from £1,197. intrepidtravel.com/uk


Jarramali Rock Art Tours, which works via trade partners including the Luxury Lodges of Australia collection, offers a two-night, all-inclusive tour priced from about £726 per person. A helicopter return trip from Cairns is available on request and is priced per person. jarramalirockarttours.com.au


Audley Travel has a 16-day Exploring Queensland itinerary that includes a day in the Daintree Rainforest and Mossman Gorge with a Kuku-Yalanji guide. Prices start from £19,130 per person, based on two sharing. audleytravel.com/australia


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